There'll Be Peace When You Are Done
by rayrae118
Summary: Part of the Whatever it Takes series. Four people you meet in heaven. Or, the one where they all live happily ever after, even if they're all dead.


**Heads up: you might see some elements from the tv show Supernatural, if you watch it. So if you think something sounds familiar, I kind of drew on their vision of heaven a little (only without the sociopathic angels and scribe with delusions of grandeur).**

_**One**_

Contrary to popular belief, Steve remembered the first time he died with startling clarity. History liked to paint his sacrifice as a peaceful transition from unconsciousness to death, but it wasn't. He remembered vividly the impact with the ice, his legs pinned and unable to move as the water level rose higher and higher. The shivering from the cold, and even more terrifying, when the shivering stopped.

Gasping for breath that wouldn't come. Ice cold shards of air piercing his lungs, turning slowly to water as it climbed higher and higher and still, he couldn't move.

The icy air becoming thinner, water creeping into his lungs and seeming to freeze them from the inside out as they tried futilely to inflate.

And then finally, just when he felt he might shatter into a million pieces, Steve was able to sink into the black embrace.

Only to wake up almost seventy years later to a world that had kept turning without him and a backstory that he certainly didn't remember being a part of, drawn up in comics and written in history books.

(Sometimes Steve wondered who this 'Captain America' person was, and he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to be friends with the guy).

He reintegrated himself with the world, made friends with his fellow superheroes, and started researching as much as he could online. Internet – so helpful.

He stumbled across the first debate almost by accident, and listened in morbid fascination as two complete strangers discussed what his final moments in the Valkyrie had been like, trying all the while not to remember the icy fingers squeezing his lungs _cold cold cold, please let it stop, Peggy please –_

Steve pulled himself out of the memories with an iron will he hadn't remembered he possessed. The debaters eventually determined that it can't have been that bad since he was, of course, unconscious by the time the plane hit the ice, and Steve closed the Youtube app angrily, throwing the phone to the side – careful to aim for his bed and not the floor so that he didn't accidentally break it. Stark would never let him forget it if he destroyed another phone (it wasn't really his fault, these smartphones were so flimsy and he was slightly stronger than your average Joe, but Stark just loved to mock him for anything and everything).

That was the first time, but certainly not the last, when Steve was confronted by people's extreme ignorance when it came to his 'sacrifice'. Even Stark with all his brains seemed to think that it was probably a pretty peaceful way to go ("I mean yeah, all that water must have been a little cold, but it's not like you could feel it, right?" Steve gave the man a tight smile and left the room before he said something he might regret – or that might actually destroy all the myths that shrouded the polite and composed Captain America in obscurity). A little cold? He had been frozen alive to a state of suspended animation. Did people not seem to realize that, while he had crashed a plane from several thousand feet into a glacier, with his super serum-enhanced body it was unlikely to actually affect him the same way it would a normal person? Stark, with all his knowledge of physics, must have known how fast he would be going by the time the plane hit the ice, but why did no one ever consider that he might have actually been awake after the plane hit the ground?

Point being, Steve remembered death. He remembered the fear, the pain, and only at the very end, the relief that it was finally all over. Steve's first death had taken a very long time to come.

So, it was understandable that he might have some trepidation when it came to his second.

Steve set himself for whatever might happen, watching as Tony blurred out still calling his name, and with a supreme effort, turned to face whatever came next.

To his surprise, there actually was a bright light. He had always thought that was just the result of so many people saying it that everybody began to believe it was true, but he could now say with absolute certainty that it happened. His whole existence flared brightly around him.

But there was no pain. A gentle warmth started in his chest and expanded slowly, reaching out towards his limbs until he was simmering with it. It was more comforting than anything else.

He felt the presence of the entity – the stone? – around him once more. _Death is not meant to hurt Steven, son of Sarah. The process of getting there can be painful of course, but the finality of Death is the one constant in all the fabric of reality. Eventually, everything ends._

Steve felt himself nod, and the warmth began to fizzle back to his chest, leaving his arms and legs tingling slightly.

The entity seemed to constrict and then expand. _You have understood this better than most living beings. This final journey is one all must take – sooner or later, but it comes to all in time. There is no need to fear Death, for eventually, all things return to the source._

The entity disappeared completely, and Steve's vision began to clear.

He was standing in a field. There were sunflowers in the distance, and a blue sky that stretched for miles. He took a few minutes – or perhaps no time at all – to simply stand there and marvel at the serenity around him. He had been fighting one war or another for so long, he didn't even remember what silence was anymore.

"What the hell did you do?"

Steve started, the sudden recrimination echoing loudly in the empty field. He turned quickly, and nearly started crying at seeing Natasha standing in front of him, looking years younger. The combination blond and red hair he had become so used to was gone, the red back in all its glory, hanging below her shoulders and fluttering slightly in a gentle breeze. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a soft blue t-shirt, comfortable clothes he could only remember seeing her in a handful of times over the years he had known her.

It had only been a few weeks since he had last seen her, and he had missed her so much. The one thing that kept him from rushing forward and giving her a hug was the fierce expression clouding her beautiful face.

Natasha Romanoff was seriously pissed off.

Steve grimaced and offered up a helpless shrug. "It's kind of a long story?"

Natasha raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "We've got time."

Looking around the field, Steve realized that she was right. Here – wherever it was – he finally had the time to just _be_. There would be no more rushing from one crisis to the next, no more training and preparing for another battle, another mission. No more looking over his shoulder, fugitive on the run violating the Accords but unable to just _stop_, not when people were in trouble and he could help.

Steve Rogers was dead, and he had never been happier.

Natasha seemed to see this in his gaze, and her own softened minutely. She stepped forward and willingly folded herself into his needy embrace. When they pulled apart a minute later she sighed, compassion and understanding bleeding through every pore of her being. "I get it, Steve. I knew what you were feeling back then. I kept telling myself 'just one more' – one more mission, one more save. And then it _was_ just one more. One last time to save the universe. Giving my life for Clint, that was the best thing I could do."

Steve nodded in agreement. "Giving my life for Tony was the only thing I could do."

Natasha frowned, and so Steve had to tell her the whole story about how they had beaten Thanos and what had happened on Vormir when he had tried to return the stone. When he finished, she winced sympathetically, but she understood completely. Some people balked at making that ultimate sacrifice, but she and Steve had always seemed to be wired differently. For her it was more that she had done so many bad things that she didn't really think she deserved to live as much as the other guy. Steve though… she got the feeling he had always valued his life less, and she never really understood why. Perhaps it had to do with being so sickly as a child, standing up for everyone else and putting himself in jeopardy because he wasn't going to live that long anyway, so what was the point?

"So where exactly are we?" Steve finally asked when the silence began to cross into uncomfortable territory.

Natasha smiled and glanced around her. "What do you see?"

Steve frowned. "It's a field. Isn't it?"

Natasha shrugged. "I see the Barton family farm. Only thing missing is Clint, Laura, and the kids."

Steve tilted his head to the side and looked behind him. He still only saw the same empty field.

Natasha shook her head. "We're dead, Steve. Think of this as sort of a crossing over point. You see what you need to see."

Steve considered that for a moment. Natasha saw a place that brought her comfort – he had seen how much she loved Clint's family every time they had visited the Bartons – starting with that mess with Ultron, and several times while on the run after their split with Tony and the others.

So why then did he see an empty field?

Natasha frowned, expression sympathetic. "It's been a long time since you've felt at home, isn't it. You never really allowed yourself to settle down in this century."

Steve wanted to object, but he knew it was true. He had been holding his breath since he woke up in 2012. Now that he really had a chance to relax, he didn't even know what he would consider 'home' to be anymore. The Stark's lake house? He had loved spending time there with Morgan.

But even that had felt temporary. The last five years, as great as they had been for him and Tony to move past their issues and really become family, had almost felt like the entire universe was standing on the edge of a cliff, waiting for something to tip it over.

The scene blurred around him for a moment, and then when it cleared again, Steve blinked in surprise.

They were still in a field – right field, to be exact. He looked to his left, and saw the classic baseball diamond – completely empty, but the large scoreboard overhead told him that it was Ebbets Field, home of the Brooklyn Dodgers.

"Steve?"

Natasha's voice broke through his thoughts, and Steve turned back to look at her. He offered up a pained smile that looked more like a grimace. "Baseball," he explained. "Apparently my home is Dodger Stadium – before New York went insane and moved the team, of course."

Natasha chuckled lightly, remembering when Tony had informed him of that fact, a few months after the Chitauri attack. Steve had had quite a few choice words to say (mostly in his head and in the hallway after he left the common room when he thought he was alone, but Natasha had followed him and caught the end of his rant at the stupidity of various people who had been dead for years).

Steve shrugged and observed the stadium. "Bucky and I used to go to games here," he told her, mind caught up in memories long past. "Whenever we had a little extra money and didn't need to worry about food or rent or my medicine. Sometimes we'd just hang out in the corner of the parking lot with a radio and pretend we could see the action. I remember this one game we went to in May 1941, a few weeks before Bucky shipped out. Pete Reiser had an amazing hit, home run with the bases loaded." He glanced at her sideways. "A few years ago SHIELD tried to convince me I was still in the '40's with that game."

Natasha shook her head but didn't look guilty. She hadn't had anything to do with that decision, and she had one hundred percent agreed with Coulson when he had told her – everything they knew about Captain America pointed to a man who possessed some intelligence and situational awareness. Trying to trick him was not the best way to convince him they were on the same side.

"So this was the last time you felt like you were home?" she asked instead, feeling suddenly sad that it had been so long since he had really felt comfortable in the world.

Steve sighed lightly. "The war changed everything. Bucky left, I had to go through an insanely dangerous and painful medical procedure to join him, and well… you know how it all ended." He looked towards home plate off in the distance. "Maybe my subconscious is trying to tell me something. But are we going to be stuck in right field until I figure out what that is?"

Natasha laughed, and Steve turned back to her, a twinkle in his eye that had been absent for far too long, now that the former spy really thought about it. "This is just a waiting room, Steve. The welcoming committee. You ready to move on?"

Steve thought about saying something about how that's why he had given his life in the first place, but thought that might not go over so well so he just nodded and took the hand she offered him.

The moment their fingers touched, the stadium blurred and shifted.

They were now standing in what looked like a pub or bar. A few people were scattered around the room, seated at tables with drinks in front of them. Steve looked at Natasha and raised an eyebrow.

Natasha shrugged. "Gathering place. Everybody's got their own heaven, so to speak, but that doesn't mean we can't still see each other and hang out from time to time."

Steve was born Catholic (if anyone had ever bothered to ask – newsflash: no one did. It hadn't taken him too long after waking up to learn that apparently Captain America stood for those good old fashioned Christian values. No one seemed to realize that he had been born to two Irish immigrants and lived his life until the war in a relatively progressive Brooklyn neighborhood. So yeah, Catholic. And even though he wasn't completely sold on the idea of a higher power, he had still attended Mass regularly with his mother, and then Bucky after she had died because even though Bucky was Jewish he knew how much those weekly services had meant to Sarah Rogers and he knew how much Steve would regret it if he stopped going after she was gone).

One thing most religions seemed to agree on though was the idea that _something_ happened after death – heaven, hell, reincarnation, whatever.

Steve was pretty sure a bar that seemed to have every beer known to man on tap was not what Father Murphy had had in mind.

"So you've just been… what, spending the last few weeks in a bar?" Steve raised an eyebrow as he looked down into Natasha's amused gaze.

The woman smirked. "They have sixteen different brands of vodka, Rogers. No hangovers in heaven."

Steve rolled his eyes. "You've never had a hangover in your life, Romanoff."

Natasha shrugged. While she hadn't been enhanced in the same way that Steve and to a lesser extent Bucky had been, the Red Room had still done certain experiments and procedures on their operatives that resulted in alcohol having less of an effect on her than it would on a normal person.

Steve pursed his lips and observed the room. "So… anyone can come to this bar?"

Natasha nodded. "Not everyone chooses to. The idea of heaven is there, Steve. It's supposed to be the ideal ending, you know, all your happiest moments. And for most people, they can spend eternity in those memories. But some have ties to others that they can't give up even after they're dead. This place gives those of us who want it an opportunity to see our loved ones as they are now, not just as we remember them."

"Our own heaven?" Steve was curious, and more than a little confused.

Natasha sighed. "I don't claim to be all that knowledgeable about how this all works, Steve. I remember waking up on Clint's farm." She grimaced, looking a little perturbed as she led him to an empty table in the far corner. Before they had even settled, the bartender was there with a shot of vodka for Natasha and a beer for Steve. "I honestly thought I was going to the other place. You know, if I believed that heaven and hell actually existed."

Steve shook his head, leaning forward. "You were a hero, Nat. I know about your earlier years, but you strove every day to make up for that. Intentions matter."

Natasha downed her shot and inclined her head minutely. "Anyway. I walked through the door and then suddenly I was back in the Avengers Compound." Her expression grew wistful. "Before all the mess, before everything went to hell. We were happy, Steve. I had a family. But even being surrounded by that, it still got a little old. The memories flickered and died as soon as I realized they _were_ just memories. I managed to find my way to this place, and it's nice sometimes, talking to others. I can go back to my own heaven whenever I want, but I'm usually here at least a few hours every day."

Steve nodded slowly. "So I've got my own heaven around here somewhere?"

Natasha nodded. "I brought you here first, but I can show you how to get there whenever you want. I just thought you might want to know about the pub."

Steve frowned, observing her carefully. Her expression seemed a little forced, even as she tried to smile and offer to help show him to a compilation of all his best memories and moments. After a minute of silence where Steve finished half his beer and Natasha downed two more shots, he bit his lip. "If I wanted to go with you instead, could I?"

Natasha blinked, startled. "I don't think there are really any rules in place," she said slowly, her expression searching. "But Steve… heaven is supposed to be the penultimate ending, everything you've ever loved is waiting for you on the other side of that door." As if in response to the former spy's words, a plain gray door appeared on the wall beside them.

Steve glanced at it, and then turned back to his friend. "It wouldn't be real though," he admitted quietly. "Don't get me wrong, I can imagine what might be on the other side of that door. And I miss Bucky, I miss the New York of the 30's and 40's. My mom. I never knew my dad but maybe I'd get to see him too. But the thing is, I found a family too, these last few years." Natasha smiled hesitantly, and Steve sighed. "It sounds so strange, considering how willing I was to throw my life away to get Tony back, how ready I was to leave them all behind."

"You did it _because_ they were your family," Natasha got it in a way not many truly would. She would do anything if it meant she could have given Clint back his family five years ago.

"Yeah," Steve sighed again. "So I could go into my own heaven and reminisce about a different lifetime, but you're here now, Nat. You're my family as much as Bucky and my mom. I'd honestly rather be with the real you than the memories of them."

Natasha's smile started out slowly, but after a minute she was full-on grinning as Steve finished the rest of his beer and stood up.

Together, the pair made for the door that had appeared next to them – now a soft red color that looked very worn and comforting. A quick trip through, and they were gone.

_**Two**_

Steve was alone in the bar a few days – or whatever passed for days in heaven – after he had arrived, when he heard a lull in the music; it was so similar to a moment a lifetime ago when he had looked up to see an angel in a red dress walking towards him that it caused him to pause with his glass halfway to his lips.

And just like he had all those years ago, Steve glanced up at the change in atmosphere, and his glass nearly slipped from his fingers.

She wasn't wearing a red dress this time. Simple jeans and a purple sweater, but she was just as beautiful now as she had ever been.

Peggy stopped in the middle of the floor and looked at him for a long moment. Finally, she smiled. "You're late."

Steve clambered to his feet, feeling ten feet tall and clumsier than he had been even before the serum had given him the grace of a seasoned fighter. He approached her cautiously, gaze searching. "I can have the jukebox play something slow to make up for it?" he finally replied, a twinkle in his eye.

Peggy glanced at the device in the corner, which had switched over from Billy Joel to Madonna while they had been talking. Looking back at Steve, she saw his apprehension. He had always been so easy to read for her. He wanted to come closer but was holding himself back.

Well, Petty Carter had no such compunctions. She took a half step forward and grasped him desperately in a firm embrace.

After a moment's hesitation, Steve was hugging her back just as urgently.

When they pulled apart, Peggy didn't go far. Steve's arms still wrapped loosely around her waist, and her own migrated up to rest comfortably around his shoulders. Her eyes dropped briefly to his lips, and then back up to meet his compassionate gaze.

Steve almost frowned. "Your husband, Peg…" His voice was barely above a whisper.

Peggy smiled softly. "He was a good man, Steve. I did love him, and he gave me two wonderful children whom I adore. He is safe and happy in his own heaven, surrounded by the memories of our past." Her own voice was just as soft, full of fondness. "But we were not soul mates. I can admit that now and I could acknowledge it even when we were both alive. I did love him, but there was always someone else, a life I never got to live. A love I never had a chance to let develop and grow. I awoke here in my own heaven, and yet even surrounded by memories of my family there was still something missing. Someone I needed, as much as I used to need air to breathe."

And then she was kissing him, standing on her toes and dragging his head down so that his lips could meet her own, since he seemed to be too shocked to make any moves himself.

When they pulled apart a few minutes later, Steve still looked dumbstruck. Peggy grinned, pleased to have been able to cause such an effect in the indomitable captain. "You'll catch flies, Steve."

Steve swallowed, forcing his mouth closed. After a few moments of silence, he smiled ruefully. "I've been wanting to do that since the last time you kissed me. Way to spring that one on a guy, by the way. I almost missed my window to jump."

Peggy's lips thinned as she recalled those moments from so long ago. Her complete and utter breakdown after they lost the communication feed from the plane mid-sentence. Howard had tried to comfort her but that man really wasn't great with people. He had tried to deal with her loss and his own by spending the next few decades searching for Steve's body.

Steve seemed to realize he had brought the mood down, and winced. "Sorry," he muttered.

Peggy sighed and shook her head. "Not your fault," she admitted. "I knew the kind of man you were, and I would never have expected you to try and save yourself at the expense of the rest of the world. It broke my heart to lose you that day, and I've waited a lifetime to hold you in my arms again."

"I'm sorry," Steve said again, and Peggy rolled her eyes.

"I don't need you to be sorry, Steve. I had a good life when you were gone. I never stopped missing you, but I was able to move forward eventually."

Steve smiled sadly. He had missed his Peggy since the moment he had come out of the ice, but he was glad that she hadn't spent her life in mourning for him. The only thing he wanted was for her to be happy, and he knew that she had been. "So what now?" he asked curiously, glancing around the pub. Only a few tables were occupied at the moment, just a few people besides the bartender, and no one was paying them any attention.

Peggy shrugged. "Whatever we want. This is heaven, Steve. There is no timeline, no mission to get to, nothing stopping us."

"I don't want to take you away from your husband –" Steve tried to argue.

Peggy shook her head, cutting him off. "I told you, Steve, he's happy. He's in his own heaven with me and our children."

"And you don't want to be with your kids?" Steve asked, resolve weakening but he had to make sure.

Peggy sighed exasperatedly. Men! "Those aren't my children, Steve. They're a memory of the life we lived together. My children are happy and safe on Earth, thanks to you. Thanks to your friends." She paused, suddenly uncertain. "Unless… if you've moved on…"

Steve winced, shaking his head quickly, hating the expression of fear that briefly crossed her face. "It's not that," he promised. "I love you, Peg. I always have. But you said it yourself, you were able to carve out a pretty good life after me. You have a husband who loves you, and whom you love."

Peggy rolled her eyes. "You can love more than one person, Steve. He has a version of me with him that loves him unconditionally." She sucked in a deep, shaky breath. "I did mourn when I lost him. But when you died, Steve, I couldn't breathe. I couldn't sleep. I couldn't _function_."

Steve immediately tightened his grip around her waist, pulling her closer. "I'm here now," he whispered reassuringly.

Peggy buried her head in his shoulder, sobs wracking her thin frame.

Standing in this cozy pub that blew any notions he might have had about the concept of heaven out of the water, Steve had never felt more content.

It had taken him a lifetime, but he had finally gotten the girl.

They had forever to spend together now. Nothing could keep them apart.

_**Three**_

To be perfectly fair, Steve probably should have expected the punch.

He had always thought that Peggy and Natasha would have gotten on like a house on fire. They were different in many ways, but in the ways that counted – duty, honor, loyalty – they had the same fierce compassion and determination. That, along with a take no bullshit attitude, and it was no wonder Steve had always thought so highly of Natasha, even when some less-than-circumspect agents had tried gossiping to him about her shady past in a futile attempt to cast shadows on the infamous Black Widow.

The two had never met in life – Peggy retiring long before Clint had convinced Natasha to change sides – but they became friends nearly instantaneously the minute Steve brought Peggy back with him to Natasha's heaven/the Avengers Compound. It didn't look quite the same as it had when they had been living and operating out of it – if Steve had to compare, it looked most similar to the five years after Thanos' snap, but even then, there were several significant changes. It looked more like a home now, a large open space made for relaxing, with no need for a contingent of agents or a STRIKE team training for their next assignment or mission. There were still training rooms of course, exercise was the best way Steve knew to work out his issues – as the many punching bags he had destroyed over the years could attest.

Natasha joined him in those rooms more than once. The two were fairly evenly matched when it came to fights, they had learned over their years working together in life. What Steve had in strength and strategy, Natasha matched with flexibility and deadly accuracy.

And once Peggy started living in their heaven, she too found enjoyment in working out her muscles and her frustrations.

Peggy had her own heaven, just as much as Steve did, but neither of them felt the need to return to it (or go to it at all, in Steve's case). They had all they needed right here, and though the Compound could seem a bit large and a bit intimidating, it was in no way unwelcoming.

The trio spent many years enjoying the comforts of each other and their new existence. Time stood still in heaven, and they had nothing to do beyond simply be with each other or meet other comrades at the pub they could all access.

Peggy introduced Steve to a few friends she had made through the years, and they all had a rather startling reunion with the Howling Commandos one afternoon – completely unplanned, but it turned into an entire day spent trying to drink each other under the table in a way they never could in life – not when they always needed to be ready for their next assignment. Steve truly got to see for himself the lack of hangovers in heaven, as Dum Dum and Dernier polished off nearly an entire keg each and were still just as coherent and steady on their feet.

He even met Howard again. And after a few choice words about the man's parenting techniques (as much as Steve had cared for Howard, Tony was like a brother to him and Steve had learned enough about his childhood to know that Howard had a lot to answer for), Howard began joining them semi-regularly at the pub. He had ruefully admitted that he hadn't been a great father, apologized to Steve for spending so much time looking for him and not enough time being there for his own son, and then began hounding the super soldier for any and all stories about his son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter.

But most of their time was spent in Natasha's heaven at the Compound. Relaxing on the spacious grounds (Peggy and Steve wrapped in each other's arms with no intention of ever letting the other go again), pummeling punching bags that never seemed to break (to Steve's delight), and converging around the cozy table in the dining room over a meal that Peggy cooked (Natasha was just as hopeless as Steve in the kitchen).

They didn't even realize how much time had passed until their existence was interrupted one day by a rather unexpected addition.

Steve and Peggy had spent the afternoon on a blanket under the shade of the trees at the edge of the Compound. They had invited Natasha to join them, but she had taken one look at the lovey-dovey expression on their faces and knew exactly what they would be getting up to on this 'picnic' so had gracefully bowed out in favor of a long workout session where she wouldn't be subjected to watching the people she thought of as brother and sister try to perform a tonsillectomy on each other.

They had spent so many years together by now, that Steve didn't even blush anymore when she told him exactly that, a fond and exasperated expression on her face. Natasha was thrilled that Steve and Peggy had found each other up here, she had known how much he had missed her during life and though love had never been in the cards for her (despite at one time thinking she may be able to define something with Bruce), she could easily see a 'love story for the ages' in the way those two looked at each other. They ended up having a hilarious moment one afternoon as they spent some time working their way through a rather large collection of movies stacked in the Compound's living room – Steve had tried to catch up on modern pop culture, but had never gotten around to watching _The Princess Bride_. When Wesley told Buttercup that "death cannot stop true love, all it can do is delay it for a little while," Natasha turned to look at Steve and Peggy with such a deadpan look that they had to pause the movie for a few minutes because they were laughing so hard.

But just because she was happy that they were so happy, didn't mean she necessarily wanted to watch it. So Natasha left them to their plans, and Steve and Peggy were so wrapped up in each other that they didn't even know when she left their heaven – because by this point, it wasn't just hers anymore. Peggy hadn't gone back to her own since she had followed Steve here, and Steve had never even seen what his was supposed to be.

It wasn't until Steve caught movement out of the corner of his eye that they pulled apart and watched, stunned, as Natasha walked towards them.

She wasn't alone, though. Trailing behind her, same shoulder-length hairstyle that he had become used to in the years before the snap but looking much younger and more carefree, and with two flesh arms, was Bucky.

Steve climbed to his feet slowly, pulling Peggy up behind him. His expression was awed and not a little bit afraid. Bucky's expression reminded him forcefully of the one Natasha had worn when he had seen her again in that field so long ago.

"Buck –" he started when the two were close enough.

Bucky cut him off abruptly with a right hook to the jaw.

Steve's head snapped back and he staggered slightly. Wincing, he turned back to his best friend, prepared to defend his actions, but found he didn't need to say anything after all. Now that he had gotten the introduction out of the way, Bucky immediately stepped forward and grasped his best friend in a tight hug.

Steve hugged him back, suddenly realizing how much he had missed the man. It was impossible to gauge time here, and though he remembered Bucky, he hadn't really contemplated not being able to see him every day until he was standing here and Steve seemed to understand just how long had passed.

"You stupid bastard," Bucky whispered, unwilling to let him go for a long while.

Off to the side, Natasha and Peggy watched, smiles on their faces at the tearful reunion of two brothers.

"I'm sorry," Steve murmured, hugging his brother in all but blood just as tightly.

Bucky shook his head slightly and pulled back. "You're not," he said wisely. Steve winced, but Bucky didn't seem to be angry anymore. "I always understood why you did it. Didn't make it easier to accept, but I got it. I just missed you, punk."

Steve smiled, and Bucky turned to look at the two women. Peggy immediately stepped forward and gave him a firm hug, so pleased to see him again after all these years.

"Not surprised about this at all," Bucky grinned when they pulled apart, looking between the two. Steve just shrugged, and they all sat down on the blanket.

Bucky pulled the picnic basket towards him and started searching for something to eat as he explained how he got here.

"Nothing too dramatic," he explained between bites of pasta salad. Was it weird that he was dead and this was the best pasta salad he'd ever had? Peggy must have cooked, he knew Steve could barely set foot in a kitchen without something catching fire. "I retired years ago. Spoiling the nieces and nephews has been more my speed for the last few years." He shrugged. "I think I went in my sleep, I remember going to bed, and then waking up in a baseball field. Romanoff was there, and I looked like this – two arms and all." He grinned. Though the various metal arms Shuri had invented for him had definitely grown on him over the years, he couldn't deny that he liked having both arms again.

Natasha smiled slyly when they all turned to look at her. "I was in the gym when I felt like I needed to be somewhere else. I made my way to the waiting room, and found Bucky. Also – you two really are made for each other. Seriously, who sees a baseball field as home?"

Steve chuckled, remembering his own welcome to heaven, so long ago.

Natasha shook herself off and grabbed one of the sandwiches in the picnic basket. She didn't need to eat – none of them did, of course – but they still enjoyed the taste of food. "I found Bucky and offered to show him to his heaven or bring him back here."

"Like I'd ever want to go anywhere else," Bucky rolled his eyes. "What do I need a heaven full of old memories for when I could be here with the real thing?"

Steve smiled warmly and grasped Bucky's shoulder tightly.

As Bucky polished off the pasta salad, he told them all about what they had missed over the last few decades.

Morgan and Nate's wedding drew many smiles, Peggy ecstatic to hear about the happy ending for the little girl that had featured so prominently in many of Steve's stories.

They learned all about the couple's two children – Steven James and Natasha Maria (more than a few tears shed by all of them at that).

Bucky told them about his own relationship ("You and Hill?" was accompanied by Natasha's incredulous stare. Bucky just smiled and nodded contentedly). They had never married, but lived together happily for many years until Maria's death a year earlier.

Natasha wondered if they could find her and bring her here, but though she was able to get to the waiting room when she felt she was needed (which wasn't for every death of course, just Steve and Bucky's, apparently) and the pub, she didn't know how to access other people's heavens. The only reason Peggy and Steve could enter and exist this heaven on their own was because they had abandoned their own and considered this to be their heaven – otherwise they would have needed Natasha to enter it every time they left. Bucky sounded so wistful when he talked about losing her though, that Natasha hoped Maria would find her way to the pub so that their paths could eventually cross.

Bucky continued to talk throughout the afternoon, as they eventually moved inside and gathered on the couches in the living room. He and Maria had never had kids, but they were the cool aunt and uncle to everyone else's. Quill and Gamora had eventually come visiting with a pale green, red haired ball of fire named Elisa – just as deadly as her mom and with none of her dad's idiocy, according to Bucky (though apparently that was a direct quote from Tony). The Guardians tried to make at least yearly stops on Earth to catch up with everyone, and they kept in contact through virtual messages regularly as well.

Sam had eventually settled down with a woman he had met while volunteering at the VA – another volunteer vet. The couple had had two children who had both followed their parents into the armed services. With Sam's blessing, Bucky had passed along the shield to his son a few years ago after the young man was honorably discharged from the army and joined SHIELD.

The Avengers were still going strong with newer members added as older ones retired or moved to more support roles. They worked regularly in conjunction with SHIELD, which had been re-established as the true protective agency it was always meant to be. Bucky shared Maria's story for them all to hear – how Coulson hadn't actually stayed dead after Loki's attack and had brought the agency back and run it underground for years before his true death shortly before Thanos' arrival, and how Maria had taken over after they had defeated Thanos, reestablishing the bonds of trust that had been burned after HYDRA's attempted takeover and working not just with Earthbound heroes but those from other worlds as well, aiding the Guardians and Captain Marvel whenever needed, to protect the world and the universe from intergalactic threats – and there had been a few over the years.

Peggy had hated hearing about what her vision had become when they told her shortly into their shared cohabitation of Natasha's heaven – apparently nobody had wanted to tell her while she was still alive, or if they had she couldn't remember because of the dementia – but was proud of Steve and Natasha for tearing HYDRA down again (though apparently with some help from true SHIELD agents even if they didn't get much credit for it at the time). She was glad to hear that it had finally been able to become what it should have been from the start.

Steve was pleased to see that the mess with the Accords had truly been put to rest, with SHIELD becoming the oversight that they had all agreed was needed, even if Steve and Tony had once disagreed about what form it should take. Registration was just a bad memory, and enhanced individuals now had an authority they could actually trust to provide assistance if they needed it.

Lila had been SHIELD Director for ten years now, and Cassie had taken over as Stark Industries' CEO since Pepper had retired around the same time as Maria. She had been too busy to act as a superhero for years by that point, so had passed the suit her step-grandfather had given her to her half-sister Lizzie, who was doing a kickass job as Stinger.

It was easy to see the pride Bucky had for his large extended family, and Steve felt a pang of sorrow and perhaps a little jealousy, that he hadn't been there to watch it all happen with Bucky. But as he continued to listen, hearing many more stories that featured Tony, Tony and the Avengers, Tony and Morgan, he knew he had done the right thing. Bucky didn't shy away from telling Steve how much they had all missed him, but they had managed to move on.

They had had good lives without him. Morgan had had her father. The world had had Iron Man. And they had had Captain America as well. Steve and Natasha were both crying when Bucky told them about Tony and Rhodey's request, and his agreement. Both approved, knowing that there was no one else who should have taken the shield at that time. Steve was so proud of Bucky for doing it even through the grief.

He had always regretted leaving his best friend, but it had been the right thing to do. Bucky had lived a good life without him, established a new family in the Avengers the same way Steve did all those years ago. And once he had lived it to its fullest, he had left the world behind and found Steve once more.

Heaven had always been everything he ever wanted, and now, it was even better.

(A few weeks later, Natasha ran into Maria at the pub and convinced her to come visit. Once Maria saw Bucky standing there with Steve, she immediately abandoned the memories of her and her boyfriend running covert ops for the real deal, and never looked back).

_**Four**_

If he had thought about it, Steve probably would have expected a similar reaction from Tony, the first time they were reunited after so long.

Steve had been caught up with Maria, Bucky, Peggy, and Natasha at the pub one day when a door suddenly appeared in the far corner, and then Tony was walking through. His eyes swept curiously over the scene, and Steve was the first one to notice the new arrival.

He swallowed harshly and waited until his friend's gaze locked on their table. As Tony walked quickly forward, Steve set his jaw and stood up, waiting for the inevitable. He wouldn't blame Tony at all if the man laid him out on the floor.

It was surprising then, when Tony didn't wind up for a punch. He barely even slowed down as he practically threw Steve back into the table with the force of his hug. Steve only hesitated briefly before he was hugging back just as tightly.

"Thank you," Tony whispered, words heavy with emotion. He pulled back and sniffed wetly. "I mean, I still want to kill you, but thanks."

"Isn't it a little late for that?" Steve grinned down a few inches into Tony's glare. "Too soon?"

Tony shoved him lightly, and then sat down in the seat Natasha had pulled up for him, right next to Steve. He took a swig of the beer in front of him and glanced around the half-full pub. "So this is definitely not what I had in mind when I pictured the great big castle in the sky."

Steve rolled his eyes and grabbed his beer back, gesturing for the bartender to bring Tony his own. "How long have you been here, and how'd you find your way here?" he asked curiously, gesturing at the room around them. Natasha had shown him and Bucky, and he knew Maria and Peggy had 'woken up' from their heavens on their own, but it had taken them a while. Bucky had been here for a few months now he thought, though it was hard to actually judge the passing of time in heaven, and he had told them that Tony and Pepper had both been alive and kicking when he had died.

Tony shrugged and accepted the drink from the bartender. "A few weeks, I think. Went to bed at Stark Tower one night, woke up at the lake house several decades younger. Eventually found my way to Stark Tower again, had Pepper and Morgan, Nate and the grandkids. But something just seemed off." He set his drink down, eyes glazing over slightly as he thought about it. "The whole thing just felt like déjà vu. Like memories I had already lived. Eventually I found a door that looked out of place. Opened it up and here I am."

Steve nodded, and the others offered him understanding looks. For Natasha, Peggy, and Maria, it had been much the same. Once you realized that the memories were just that – memories – they lost their appeal.

Tony grimaced and stared at his drink. "Not sure I really want to go back to that if I'm honest. I thought heaven was supposed to be this ideal dream?"

"It is if you don't wake up," Peggy sighed, and for the first time, Tony seemed to realize just who she was and how close she was sitting to Steve. He smirked at the former Captain, and Steve just shrugged in acceptance, a small smile playing out across his face. Peggy noted the interaction, and rolled her eyes. "You may be all grown up now Anthony Stark but I will take you over my knee if you don't behave."

Tony's eyes widened as the rest of the table started laughing. "Glad to see you too Aunt Peggy," he finally mumbled, a light blush staining his cheeks.

"That's just weird," Steve muttered under his breath. Death had taken away the maladies and ages of all of them, and hearing his friend, a man he thought of as a brother, calling the love of his life 'aunt' was not something he thought he could get used to. Hopefully it was just a reflex.

Natasha kicked him lightly under the table, and focused on Tony. "You don't have to go back if you don't want to," she informed him.

Tony looked at her, confused. "As much as I love to drink, I'm not sure I want to spend eternity here," he glanced around the room, taking in the other occupants.

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Don't be an idiot. We've got our own place, we only come here occasionally."

Tony furrowed his brow. "Your own place?"

Natasha shrugged. "It used to be my heaven. Steve joined me when he showed up, brought Peggy with him, then Bucky and Maria. Everyone's got their own happy ending, but these guys decided they'd rather stick together. Steve and Bucky have never even seen what their own heaven's supposed to be."

Tony didn't need to be asked twice. His heart thudded painfully as he thought about the fake-Pepper waiting for him back in his own heaven, but he didn't want the memory. Someday, the real thing would come around, and he'd make sure he found her again then. Until that time though, he was happy to go with the others to… seriously? The old Avengers Compound? Tony could see the obvious differences between this version of the Compound in upstate New York, and the one they had built after Thanos had been defeated. Of course it wouldn't be that one though, he ruefully reminded himself as he took in the comfortable couches in the living room and the entire wall devoted to a television and DVD collection. This was Natasha's heaven, and she had never even seen the new Compound.

Location didn't matter though. He watched Peggy and Steve drop down onto one sofa, sitting so close together that Peggy was practically in Steve's lap, and Bucky and Maria curl up on another sofa.

He had lived a happy and healthy life, full of love and laughter and a daughter whose eyes positively sparkled every time she looked at him, because she knew how close she had come to never having that option again.

But he had missed Steve. He had missed his brother, and even though they were dead, he finally had him back.

So for the time being, death was good.

(Soon after, Pepper found her way to the pub with a steady glare for Tony and the others who had all been enjoying a drinking contest with the Howling Commandos, Howard, and a few of Peggy's friends from the early SHIELD days and a firm embrace for Steve and Natasha – "I've been putting up with your crap for decades, Tony, you think I couldn't tell that those memories weren't really you?" Tony just gave her a searing kiss and the two headed back to the Compound early).

_I'm considering adding one more short chapter to this – Howard and Tony's meeting. Let me know if you want to see it!_


End file.
